Chapter Text
It was late 1888 and Europe was about to see the most drastic changes it had ever seen. Mumei was fascinated with how quickly humans were doing new things, they had created the pneumatic tire, the gramophone made its first appearances in the public eye and they could even be underwater in a submarine, the Peral.
She had recently moved to Germany for a season, it was a beautiful place and full of life, although they had only recently organized themselves as a country, their efforts were remarkable. In spite of the cold in the street there was a buzz, the new German emperor would be proclaimed after the death of Wilhelm I, but also who would rule the era in the council.
Sitting in a square, she typed out the situation according to her filter, her companions wondered if she was suffering from hypergraphia or if she just liked to document the progress of those she was supposed to be guarding.
Carefully a woman approached her side,
- We must go now, we are late.
- Startled Mumei looked at her - I'm sorry Kronii they sent you for me.
- Lately you've been spending all day here, it was obvious you would forget.
- I'm sorry, come on, I don't want you to get scolded because of me either.
They both disappeared from the place without being noticed, they arrived at the entrance of a big white palace with huge gardens on the sides and in the back, the clock tower indicated the chronological time; They walked the long corridor to the main hall, there were the other guardians of the world, Space, nature and Chaos as mediator, hope.
- We are sorry for the delay - apologized Kronii -.
All only nodded and both took their places, Irys, the hope invoked an empty clock, only its hands and spaces divided, it began to rotate and slowly forming the order with which 1900 would begin.
Chaos 1900-1989
Time - Chaos Nature - Civilization Time - Nature - Civilization
They all looked at each other confused, the era of chaos was quite long compared to the previous ones, time was able to associate with intelligence and make people advance in technological fields quickly, but when combined with chaos it was not good, weapons perhaps, nature and civilization would have a great conflict, but they would also have to work together later.
- Well, it is decided, we will have to work hard and do our part so that everything goes according to plan - commented chaos -.
- But it is obvious that this is a war, not just one...- complained Mumei.
- It is as it should be, they will have to work together so that everything is fast and as it should be.
That answer was not entirely satisfactory, Kronii saw in her companion's face the concern so being alone she would ask her what was going on in her head
Once the meeting was over, they left in silence, uneasy about what had been dictated, Mumei went directly to the library looking through her previously written books, something like this had already happened, it had to have happened.
- You seem very worried about what happened at the meeting, what's wrong? - asked Kronii-
- I don't like it when humans go to war.
- They have always done it, why are you worried this time? - commented the short-haired girl as she took a seat.
- You have a better chance of seeing it than I do, yet you just ignore it.
- Kronii sighed - we can't help it.
- This will bring a lot of war; will the humans endure so much in that period? if they learn something new, they will want to try it on their own mate...- she said stopping her search - there will be no bloodier time than this.
Kronii just looked at her, she hated not having the empathy that her companion had, it hurt Mumei every time something happened in the societies she observed every day, she didn't understand how they could harm themselves just because someone else ordered it, but didn't she do the same? Everyone obeyed the corresponding order and let it develop, but no, with humans it was different, she tried to look at them with her eyes, but it was so difficult.
- We must do something - Mumei said aloud -.
- Don't you understand? we CAN'T!
Kronii's shout bounced around the room, leaving Mumei silent.
- If we do this we'll get in trouble, no matter if it's the bloodiest century and humans want to gouge their eyes out with their hands, if so, that's the way it has to be.
She stood up and turned her back on him walking towards the exit.
- I don't care, I'll do it anyway.
Kronii stopped dead in her tracks, she thought about responding, but she was too angry to rebut.
Years passed, the politics of the world was really tense, Mumei saw and heard it from the mouth of a simple worker to a well to do nobleman, hatreds were beginning to flourish, she needed to act fast, to have someone to help her stop all this massacre that was coming, she thought about how to create someone, some person to guide to disrupt that machine, however, alone she could not.
After a long day she returned to the palace to rest, she was truly stressed, she did not sleep well, always thinking; she went to the library to leave a recently finished book and rested her head on the shelf.
- I will help you
Startled Mumei looked around, through the books on the other side she saw the figure of Kronii.
- Really? But I thought you didn't want to intrude.
- I honestly don't want to alarm you, but this will also bring problems to one of us on the council.
- Have you seen what will happen?
- Something, because I am anxious to see it - she said going to her -
- I have something in mind, but if you will help me, I think I can do it.
She told her plan, she needed humans that could interfere directly in the actions that were being carried out by countries, sabotage them in a few words, they would be in charge of giving them strength and organizing them from behind without Baelz and the others noticing, however, they needed something important that only Fauna could do and that was to generate life.
- I think it will be a problem, - said Kronii, -the main one affected...will be her.
- Impossible without her we won't be able to create them.
- We will have to talk to her.
However, the next day would change everything, that June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand would be assassinated, the last remaining thread of the tear had simply been cut, everything was mobilized, time was running out, they had to talk to Fauna to get her on their side and help them face the disaster.
They arrived at their gardens, a beautiful place full of the most beautiful plant species on earth, in another place kept animals preventing them from interfering in the tranquility of the palace, Mumei was overwhelmed that this could disappear if they did not help her.
- That's impossible - said Fauna with evident confusion - that the humans will destroy me?
- I know they won't do it on purpose, but they are in a war - commented Mumei - we need you to help us.
- I'm sorry, but I don't want to get in trouble, don't worry, nothing will happen.
Fauna withdrew, it was an answer to keep in mind, Mumei went into despair, Kronii consoled her.
- Calm down, we will see what to do, if we have to steal it, we will do it.
Time passed and they had no chances, the humans and their armies had begun the movements and the imminent war began, she had had no intention of documenting the situation, but she took courage and went to the battlefield to see it with her own eyes.
In the midst of crossfire wrapped in a field of energy Mumei wrote without stopping, some bullets bounced off her barrier and made a sharp sound, it was 5 pm on April 22, 1915, Ypres "the Germans threw something the French, I did not know what it was until I saw their reaction , so it was Chlorine gas" she wrote, in front of her several soldiers were falling, she had intentions to open the barrier but fear won, she continued without stopping, she had not rested for days, the dark circles under her eyes gave her away, suddenly Kronii arrived at the place.
- I must take you away from here, you are emaciated.
- No, I can't stop, they keep using things I've never seen before.
- That's enough
Mumei closed the book quickly and stood up taking Kronii's shoulders.
- They're going to kill Fauna, they just threw chlorine gas, see that green cloud? she's suffocating.
- Kronii took her wrists - Calm down, let's go to the palace.
She just took her and forced her to rest, after leaving her in bed she went to Fauna, she entered the main garden but didn't see her, she looked further inside until she found her lying near a small lake.
- Fauna! - she went to her - Hey, wake up
Fauna woke up in her room, her mouth had a metallic taste and her throat was annoying, she was trying to clear her throat; she sat up in her bed carefully, in her head a strange sound was rumbling, the artillery shots were in her brain, she put her hands to her head trying to silence them without success.
There was a knock on the door
- c-come in.
- How are you feeling? - asked Kronii -
- Terrible, my throat hurts a lot and my head hurts a lot.
- You'll have to stay in bed for a few days until you get better.
- Was Mumei right? - she asked while coughing -
- Kronii looked at him and didn't know how to answer - Yes, you'll have to prepare yourself.
Fauna had a lump in her throat, would this really be the end of her? A terrible fear enveloped her, even if nature was huge, she was also fragile, and such an attack would mistreat her too much, how could her offspring hurt her so much, had she been forgotten?
- I need to rest
Kronii nodded and withdrew.
Days after the battle of Ypres Mumei and Kronii were called by Baelz to her ears a rumor had reached her that was not to her liking, if it was so she had to take severe and immediate measures.
- I am very sorry for the decision I am about to take, but I have been told that you are up to something, I can't allow you to do that at all.
- But Baelz, Fauna can die - answered Kronii -.
- She won't die, humans can't kill her.
- It will feel like torture and you know it, - said Mumei in a dark tone- she will be in pain, she will get sick, it won't end up killing her physically, but if her heart does, she will die.
- That is her destiny and we cannot intervene, why do you insist, humans kill themselves, animals kill themselves, come back and do the same thing again, it will always be like that.
- You know very well that I am not only watching over them, I am also watching over Fauna's integrity, BUT YOU ARE DELIVERING HER TO HELL! - she shouted at her -
- IT'S OVER! - shouted Baelz getting up from her seat - You two are not to set foot in the world again until I say so, understood?
- No, you can't deny me that! - Mumei answered obfuscated - I must take care!
- That's what we'll be there for, you can do it from here, now go.
Mumei could not hold her rage, the impotence of not being able to step on the earth anymore, nor protect the people, nor protect Fauna, the worst thing was that she felt that Kronii had not defended her in the face of the chaos, she left the room quickly, Kronii followed her.
- Mumei stop!
- Shut up! I don't care what you have to say
With a slam of a door, she locked herself in her bedroom and locked the door, she didn't want anyone to disturb her, she was frustrated, angry, she had clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt.
- I know you're upset - Kronii told her from the other side - But sometimes it's better late than never, we can do it, we'll save them, both of them.
She didn't answer her, she just sat on the floor with her back to the door, she just wanted to cry and she did when she heard Kronii's footsteps walking away.
Time passed, how much, she didn't know, she imagined different scenarios, but Fauna's screams echoing near her room were not imaginary, they were doing something terrible no doubt to make it so painful, it made her want to get up and scream at Baelz to help her, to stop everything.
Fauna had tried unsuccessfully to control them, she flooded their trenches, she filled them with snow, she made them drown in mud but she did not stop them, the humans would not stop, not even if she made them sick and filled the trenches with dead humans, they continued, the projectiles filled the green mantle and turned everything into a dead nature, the sound of the wind was crowded by the roar of thousands of cannons which did not leave her head, she vomited when the earth was impregnated with mustard gas, what other punishment could she give them to stop? , Quite exhausted as were the humans, she sent into the fields a plague, as simple as it was lethal, in silent recruits who went to war innocently ready to decree a world catastrophe, but when it started so did almost the end of the war, it didn't matter, they deserved no mercy after such mistreatment, Fauna was falling into the game.
One of many days Kronii went to the gardens, she knew what she was doing was wrong, but it was necessary, inside Fauna was hiding the most precious thing, something that could grant life, the one she wanted; she searched carefully trying to be as discreet as possible, there was a secret tunnel that could lead her directly to the place, she knew it, among the foliage a small marble basin emerged, inside the water small spheres of light moved like fish, she tried to catch them with her hand and put some of them in a jar.
She went back towards the rooms quickly knocking on Mumei's door.
- Can you open it now?
Mumei was silent before opening a little.
- What do you want Kronii?
- I have something for you, - she said showing the small jar hidden in her clothes.
- How did you get them?!
She opened the door and let him in, she was so excited.
- I knew you could do it Kronii! - took a moment of silence - Umm sorry for how I treated you a while back.
- I know you, I wasn't going to get mad about it you know?
- Thank you - she blushed slightly - we must now look for some time to throw them to the ground.
- Do you have a place in mind?
- Europe itself, otherwise we won't waste time gathering them.
- It makes sense, well I'll look for a time, so you can throw them - she handed the jar -
- How's Fauna been, I've... heard.
- Well, she's terrible, she's been very sick.
- Those poisons were too strong in the amount they were used, it's obvious it would be bad.
- Yeah, I'm sorry I wasn't more careful.
- It's not your fault, it's something that happened between them and Fauna holds them unfortunately....
They both stared at the jar, the spheres shifting restlessly back and forth as they were trapped.
Seeing that the coast was clear, Mumei went out with the jar hidden in her jacket ready to throw it out into the world when she was suddenly interrupted.
- YOU - approached Fauna, noticeably haggard - it's all your fault, it's the fault of those humans!
- Mumei hid the vial behind her - Calm down please, this wasn't their fault they didn't mean to harm you specifically, they were in a war!
- I wanted to stop them and they didn't! I killed them in diseases, but they carried on like it was nothing!
- So, you...you hit that epidemic.
- Yes, I did it because you did nothing to help me.
- I asked you before they started, we needed someone to help us!
With force Fauna pushed her, the jar jumped past Mumei who fell to the ground, her neck was grabbed in both hands by Fauna, being choked little by little, with one of her arms she tried to push away the hands of her attacker and with the other she tried to push the jar until it fell from the edge.
Fauna let go of her neck when she noticed what was in the fallen container.
- NO! You stole from me!
Mumei quickly sat up trying to catch her breath in a defensive pose, Fauna summoned a thorny vine and used it as a whip to attack her, the movements were fast, every time a thorn brushed her arms, they cut her flesh and took a chunk out as they crawled, without holding it any longer Mumei pulled out her dagger and cut it off in the moment of an attack.
- I won't let you harass me just for trying to ease your pain, Baelz is using you, I told him so and he left me here along with Kronii, she didn't help you she just let you suffer.
- There has always been chaos and now I end up being harmed like that, in such a short time?
- They don't attack you directly, understand, what's wrong, do you think they have to worship you like before, very few humans still do, you should feel grateful but you are no longer the center of the world, we are no longer, we don't order their lives, we only take care of them and if something happens we reprimand or punish them, but as you say, they go on, they won't care about our punishment because they are free to do what they want to.
- They are in a big mistake, they can't ignore me, I give them what they need to survive....
- THAT'S OVER! - shouted Mumei - they don't care, understand, they make their lives without paying tribute to anyone and if they do, they will do it to whomever they want.
Clenching her fists Fauna went back to the gardens, Mumei went to the shore watching the emptiness, she hoped those orbs had a good destiny and it wouldn't be complicated for her to look for them when they grew up, she was still subject to Baelz's order so she couldn't go down.
Inside the gardens Sana was waiting for Fauna, she knew what was happening and although she was part of the council her work was beyond everyone's, her attention was set outside the earth, but the pain of her companion became difficult to avoid, her eyes couldn't believe how bad she looked, she was pale, she looked sick, shaking.
- Fauna - she got up -
- I need to sit down for a moment - she said, walking slowly -
Sana went to help her quickly and sat her on one of the chairs she had next to a small table when she liked to have some tea outdoors.
- I heard what's been going on, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner.
- Don't worry, I know you didn't mean to.
- Can you tell me what happened to Mumei just now?
Fauna just remained silent, she was tired of thinking about what was going on, the situation was not the best.
Sana took one of her hands gently, now her hands were gloved due to the wounds she had.
- I'm not going to push you, but please, think well what is happening, no one will harm you for pleasure.
- I don't know, I've been doubting that for a long time.
- You are a strong girl, I know that, we have been together for a long time and also a lot has happened, so don't lose heart.
Although the breath of her companion was deep in her mind, her chest dictated something else, something that was staining her, she was afraid of being forgotten, to the others it did not seem relevant that humans no longer revered them, but she felt she was a case apart, she would not let Mumei get in the way of the punishment’s humanity deserved, if she had to catch those lives that had been thrown recently, she would do it, she would hunt them down.
In the interval of time between the war she dedicated herself to search for them and to eliminate the population, even so it was very difficult to find their whereabouts, the second world war was starting, the small break made by the humans had not helped, she was already tired but still she joined them, if the humans were able to search for others, she would have the possibility of finding those targets, so she saw in the newly formed Gestapo a good option and impersonating one of them was easy, that organization effectively found everything they were looking for.
Her philosophy was "First shoot, then ask" but so far, she had not found anyone, her investigations came to a dead end at some point and the suspect was just someone ordinary.
One day she was invited with her section to meet the new airmen joining the Luftwaffe, most of them were boys and girls who were already in their majority ready to fight, they squared up before her and she watched them carefully, her gaze strayed to one of them, she had a messy shirt collar, Fauna approached and pulled it gently fixing it, the girl looked at him with a bit of fear when she approached and just continued, there was one of the targets, but she couldn't accuse her without proof either, after all her superiors would armor her, then her own destiny would bring her into their hands, she would have to be patient and at the same time followed the course that the Era considered.
After a new discussion Mumei left the library with her things, until that moment it was the only place where she could write inside the palace, but always harassed by Fauna repeating again and again how bad the humans were, Kronii had promised her to do something about it.
- The only thing left to do was to run away
- What do you mean, just run away? - asked Mumei -
Suddenly Kronii took her hand and they ran down the corridor, in sight and patience of those who guarded the palace they jumped into the void, the guardian of time had detected most of the targets in one area and would go there.